{ Attire } Bridesmaids Dresses

Very early on in the game, my bridesmaids and I went dress shopping. I loved the idea of getting the gals together to go rummage through tons of dresses and maybe even trying on a few ridiculous ones for kicks. Unfortunately, with one long distance bridesmaid and one who has crazy schedules (love you, sister-cousin!) the whole group couldn't come.

Oh, and Carl? I love you, butthead, but this post might have a few hints about MY dress in it. So skitter away and distract yourself while I talk with the nice people here about this adventure, mmkay?

Still, my other two awesome, amazing, beautiful bridesmaids and I met up to try out some looks. We found some potential in the dresses, and started the trying on affair.

Oooh summer sunburns! This purple one we liked in the brown and ivory colors. Eventually we decided that it competed too much with the intricacy in the overlay of my dress, but it stayed a contender for quite awhile.

Gotta say it.. this one was a 'no' right away. It sort of reminds me of a dress an old lady would wear to high tea...

This blue one wasn't too shabby - it even had a little bling to it! Eventually it was counted out after we realized it was a little low cut for our tastes!

Then we started considering tea-length dresses... Which I believe we all agreed were slightly too casual for the whole ordeal.

 

I couldn't escape this escapade without having to try a few on, myself. We liked this one. It was simple and elegant... and the belt added a ton. However, for a summer wedding? This fabric was just too heavy and warm. I wouldn't want my gals dying of heat stroke!

Then we found this one... Again, simple, elegant...

And a belt added a lot to, overall. Only difference? This one was much lighter! We had a winner, and after some discussion over email and lots of picture sharing, we all agreed on this dress in brown with a blingy ivory belt.

As the story goes... this wasn't quite the ending. After the bridal fair, Carl and I discussed the fact that the bridesmaids would be in brown... and so would he and the groomsmen. Dilemma! Don't you think that's just too much brown? I panicked a little. Did I change the color the girls would wear? And does that mean we would want to do this whole shopping thing again?...

The answers are yes, and probably. After the holidays, there just might be a second shopping adventure for the girls and me!

Did picking the guys suits change how you thought about your girl's dresses?

{ Beauty } Natural Nails

I posted a little while back about my trick to keep your fingers hangnail free. I thought I would add a few more finger-friendly tips to keep your fingers in picture perfect form!

1. Avoid using acetone based nail polish removers. Acetone will dry out your nail beds and can irritate the skin around your nails. Try to buy a moisture rich nail polish remover like Sally Hansen's Kwik Off.

Image Source / Makeup and Beauty Blog

2. Push it real good. Invest in a cuticle pusher and push your cuticles (gently!!) once a week. This will help keep your cuticles from cracking and from becoming overgrown.

Image Source / Nontoxic Lifestyle

3. Nip it in the bud. Nibbling on your nails is a nasty habit that's hard to break, but keeping your chompers away from your fragile nails will keep hangnails at bay.

 Image Source / Ways to Stop Biting

4. Go Greek. I swear by strengthening my over all nail bed by eating a buttload of Chobani. I also just really love Chobani. It's the best Greek yogurt around and it's packed with nail fortifying protein. Within a week of eating my Chobani each morning for breakfast, I notice my nails growing longer and harder. Believe you me, I can tell when I fall out of my Chobani ritual. It doesn't take long for my nails to start to show signs of missing their protein packed yogurt fix. I guess this is kind of like taking gelatin supplements back in the olden days!

Image Source / Chobani

There you have it! A fee more tips to keep your fingers flawless! Now to start practicing what I preach...

Do you have any tired and true techniques to keep your nails in line?

{ Attire } Dress Panic

Back on September 7th, I ordered my dress. I was told at the time that within 10 weeks, the dress would arrive. I was ecstatic that it would be so soon. This must be one of the perks of ordering early! This meant that the week of Thanksgiving, it should be here. My vendor said she would call with an official ship date and I excitedly hung up and started counting down.

A month passed. Another. Thanksgiving passed. And here we are, four days from Christmas, and I haven't heard a word from the shop.

I placed a called to them, asking them to call me back so I knew if it had shipped or if it had arrived and I missed a phone call. When I didn't hear back from them, I called again on Monday... Same message.

No call back.

I started to feel panic creep in. I ordered it. I put a down payment of half the price into the dress. It's a month later than they said it would arrive. They aren't calling me back...

What's going on?!

I know I have over 7 months until the wedding, so I'm not too worried, but a phone call back would be nice. Just a little hello to say "it's still on it's way!" or "whoops! forgot to order it!" I don't care... Just call me back and let me know. This is my wedding dress! I think any bride has the right to freak out a bit about this one!

So what do I do? Wait til after the holiday and try again? Call them again today? Storm into the store in a full Bridezilla rage? I don't want to bother them or anything, but man... some customer service would be nice... The lack of communication is really making me worry.

Did you ever have a non-responsive vendor? How did you deal with it?

{ Life } It Finally Happened...

It took longer than I thought it would, but it finally happened.

...I forgot to put my ring on this morning.

There is, at first, that rush of panic.

Where is it? Did I leave it by the sink? Did it slip off in my gloves when I took them off? Is it safe and sound in my ring box?

The heart racing, the thoughts of worst case scenario, the racking your brain for the last time you remembered having it on... Utter. Panic.

I sent a frantic text to Carl to see if it was at home, safe. I was certain I just forgot to put it on because I had put my lotion on upstairs instead of in the bedroom. Normally, I put lotion on, put my ring on, and then head out the door. One simple break in pattern and the rest falls to pieces...

...it was safe in its box. Cue celebration dance.

Now I just feel silly for not putting it on and naked without it. I miss it. Is that silly?

How long was it until you 'missed a day'? Have you ever felt that panic?

{ Life } Me Vs. Facebook

In this day in age, the quickest way to announce your engagement is on none other than Facebook. The excitement after receiving the ring and accepting the proposal is followed by the elation of changing your Facebook relationship status to ‘engaged’.

Unless Facebook decides to ruin the fun for you.

Now yes, I know it is a silly thing in the grand scheme of things… But Facebook and I are still going through a rough patch after it ‘ruined’ my engagement announcement.

Ruined might not be the right word… but it did certainly disappoint.

The story goes like this: Carl and I arrived home and after celebration with my parents and excited texts and phone calls to family, I was thrilled to change our relationship status. A silly thing the social media world has deemed as a golden star to give out to those who care.

I log into Facebook right before bed, hoping that the late night post would yield some fun comment reading in the morning. Low and behold, my email inbox is FLOODED when I wake up. Excited to see the happiness and congratulations from my friends and loved ones, I look at my Facebook page and… what’s this?

There are five comments.

Now, if I didn’t have my message email notification turned on at the time, I might have thought something was wrong. Were my friends and family not excited for me? But, no – My inbox was flooded with the notices from Facebook about my friends congratulating me/us. But where were they on my profile?...

Apparently on the night I got engaged, Facebook was updating their servers and the majority of these comments got lost in the eternal server crash black hole…

Is it silly of me to begrudge Facebook for this? Yes, it is… But I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t incredibly disappointing. I even had people ask me why more people hadn’t commented on out engagement. All I could say was “they did, you just can’t see it”.

I asked Facebook about this, and their only response was “they might appear again over time… but if not, there isn’t anything we can do”.

><; Mer. Double mer.

And if you’re wondering? They never reappeared. To this day I’m still a little bitter about the whole situation.

When Carl moved here, I knew it was because we would be spending the rest of our lives together, so I had imagined posting our engagement on Facebook – the fact that this happened saddened me, but you know… you’ve got to get over it. In the grand scheme of things this was a minor glitch.

On the path to planning a wedding, there would be MANY minor glitches… and I guess I can just consider this a little pre-planning glitch training!

Did anything go not quite as you had planned in your daydreams about your engagement day?

{ Question } When You Sleep...

...Where do you fingers go? - Cake

Do you have a special place that you keep your ring at night?

I happen to have a very naughty kitty who knocks anything she can find onto the ground at night to try and get attention.

Cute but psycho. Things even out.

That being said, I am naturally a little paranoid about my ring getting lost. Things just... disappear when Dagny is around. I decided to keep the ring box Carl gave me at the proposal to use as a defense against the cat. The box was big, sturdy, and if she knocked it down, it would be much easier to find than just the ring!

I also formed a habit of taking the box with me when I am not sleeping at home. It's just become the resting place for my ring every night. So I got to thinking... do others do the same? Do you keep your ring in a specific place at night or when you aren't wearing it?

After the wedding, I thought about getting a special ring box. Something a little more fun and fancy to keep my e-ring and band in. There are lots of options out there for unique little boxes to hold my rings at night.

I can be a forgetful gal, so the safety of knowing my ring could only be in one place if I'm not wearing it is certainly a comfort. I know that, for me... I need a box that closes tightly and won't come apart if dropped by myself or a mischievous kitty. Picking out a new box to keep my rings in will be a fun little treat. I'm looking forward to starting the hunt!

Do you have a place you keep your ring? Do you ever worry about it getting lost when you aren't wearing it?

{ Planning } Dr. Suess

― Dr. Seuss

I have always loved this quote. I think that it would be great to use on the save the dates, or the invitations. It's so simple and so true. Always a saying that makes me smile.

I suppose it's getting to be that time... To plan out the STDs and invites. Yikes. Time really has flown by! I suppose that means I should really get that list of addresses for these bad boys put together. -sigh-

Did you have any inspiration for your STDs and invites?

{ Attire } Sexy Little Bride

I am know for jumping the gun on things, but I'm already thinking of my wedding day undies. Sorry, Mom! It's true! I've never been a fancy underwear lover, but a wedding seems like a time to have some fun and buy something fancy.

Image Source 

I am so used to having three choices in any bra. Beige, black, white... The curse of the DD bust. It's no secret that I'm a busty girl, so I know that I need something to keep the girls inline all night long, but it can be pretty, right? It doesn't have to be plain ivory or white -- it could have a little lace.

But how do you pick what to wear? It's got to be comfortable. It can't be too warm. It can't be impractical. And it can't cost as much as the dress... I can imagine that this is something I can do deep into the final stretch of the wedding, but I find myself thinking about it now. Where does a girl even begin!? I do drool over the Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Bride line...

So how did you decide what skivvies you would don beneath your precious dress? Did you keep your Future Hubby in mind, or did you just buy something that would do the job?

{ Planning } Just Say No

In all my time (you know, all four months) being engaged and planning a wedding, I haven't actually had to say 'no' to anyone yet. It's been one big whirlwind of 'yes' since I said yes to Carl... Which is great, since no isn't a word that I care to say. I'm what you call a people pleaser. I hate having to tell people no... Even when I know I have to.

So, naturally, the time has finally come to say no.

Image Source

I had a vendor email me and ask if I had made a decision yet. We had, but I wasn't quite sure how to phrase my email back to her, so I told her I would get back to her by Friday... well Friday came and went. I know I need to email her back. She deserves a response... but my delightful mixture of anxiety and aversion to the word no is making this super hard!

I consulted a friend at work who is one of our even planners. She gave me the confidence that this vendor wasn't going to hate me. She wasn't going to go crazy and freak out. She wasn't going to have anything bad to say... She'd just take another job and move on.

So why is this part so hard?

After a few deep breaths and relaxation exercises, I set in to write my email.

Dear X,
It was a pleasure to meet you last week! I am sorry it has taken me a little longer to get back to you than I had promised. I did want to let you know that Carl and I have decided to use another vendor for our wedding, but we do appreciate the time you took to show us your work.
We wish you the best!
Katie & Carl

So... How'd I do? Too short? Too simple? Should I have elaborated more, or was that really not needed? The moment of dread has set in now that the 'send' button has been clicked. Now I just smile and move on, happy with our choice in vendor, right? RIGHT??!

How did you deal with turning down vendors? Did you send an email, call, or did you just sort of... fade out of the picture?

{ Planning } Readings, Part Two

I read this quote awhile back by the great Bob Marley and thought that it would make a perfect wedding reading. Even though it is a little long, it's such a great description of love and being in love...

Image Source / Blogger

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
― Bob Marley

Do you have any non-traditional reading you love?  How did you go about picking your wedding readings?